Pete Doherty has "deeply apologised" after singing the abandoned first verse of 'Das Deutschlandlied' at a recent gig in Munich, Germany.

A radio broadcast of the performance was swiftly cut after the singer-songwriter performed the original "Deutschland, Deutschland Ã¼ber alles" ("Germany, Germany above all") stanza, which was dropped after World War II.

Doherty's spokeswoman told Sky News: "[He] wanted to celebrate his appearance in Munich by assimilating and integrating with the crowd, something he tries do wherever he goes.

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"He was unaware of the controversy surrounding the German National anthem and he deeply apologises if he has caused any offence."

She continued: "Peter himself is from Jewish descent and has fought against racism and fascism with numerous organisations including Love Music Hate Racism. This is a subject he feels very strongly about."

The original lyrics to 'Das Deutschlandlied' were penned by Hoffmann von Fallersleben in 1841. Only the first verse was used during the Nazi era and after the reunification of Germany 1990 it was declared that only the third be used for the official national anthem.

Late German-born singer Nico intentionally performed the song with its first stanza intact on her 1974 album The End and at a series of live shows around its release.